Heiress Behind the Headlines

The Whitney Heiresses #2

by Caitlin Crews

Haunted by one scandal too many, tabloid-savaged and vulnerable, Larissa Whitney turns her back on her gilded fortune. Desperately hiding from the paparazzi's relentless cameras, Larissa escapes to a small, secluded island, seeking refuge. But she's not alone—instead, Larissa finds herself face-to-face with Manhattan tycoon Jack Endicott Sutton.Now she's trapped on an island with a man she had a wild affair with five years before.…

A man she's still achingly attracted to. A man who knows the outrageous truth!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Mills and Boon, Contemporary, Fiction

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Caitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.

Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.

She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.

Reviews

[willaful · Rating 2 out of 5]

"'Hilariously,' she said, as if she was choosing her words with great care, as if she was afraid they might bite back, 'I keep thinking that you've said the worst possible thing you could say -- that your opinion of me could not possibly sink any lower. And I am always proved wrong.'"

Everyone knows about party girl/heiress Larissa's scandalous life -- the most recent scandals being a stint in rehab and a broken engagement. But the truth is, Larissa had actually spent those two months in a coma, while her cousin impersonated her. (This turns out to have been the plot of a previous book, The Replacement Wife.) The experience has changed her, but no one will ever believe it... particularly not her one-time fling Jack Sutton. Running into him again while she's trying to live quietly alone is a shock -- especially when the feelings between them flare up as strongly as ever.

For the first two thirds of this book, very little actually happens. Larissa and Jack are the only characters, interacting only with each other -- the story has a somewhat claustrophobic feeling, like a movie set in one room. They fight and have sex and ponder their conflicted feelings about each other endlessly, in page and page of dramatic introspection. Larissa is reluctant to reveal her true feelings, sure she won't be believed, and Jack is constantly -- and hypocritically -- cruel to her.

When Larissa finally faces the fact that Jack hates her and leaves, the story picks up. We see Larissa with the father who obviously has always loathed her, which makes her brittle facade far more sympathetic and understandable. I ended up really liking Larissa; she's quick-witted and sharp-tongued, and her emotional journey as she fights to find some self-respect is a powerful one.

It almost, but not quite, makes up for how awful Jack is. When a romance hero is as vicious as he is, and when he doesn't even react when the woman he's been sleeping with tells him she had been in a coma... well, there has to be something to balance that, preferably a whole lot of suffering and guilt for him. Jack gets off pretty much scott free, which gives me no way to forgive him. Although I enjoyed the angst of the story, and the character of Larissa, I couldn't be completely happy with the ending.

(reviewed from e-arc provided by netGalley)

[Vashti · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a total waste of my time.The book just droned on and on about how each of the characters were from America's bluest of blueblood families.Did not like the heroine nor the hero.

[Jasbell76]

Other shelves: bad-girl-"become"-good-girl-in-a-few-weeks, boring-hero, gamma-hero.
The heroine is a "career woman" just because it was mentioned once she studied in one of the "best universities" of the country (-_-)

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroine Larissa has been in sort of hiding for the last eight months, after recovering from a very public collapse/breakdown. After waking up from a coma Larissa realised that she needed to re-evaluate the mess she has made of her life and the only way to do that was time away from the fish bowl society of New York's upper class. Her new found peace is shattered when the hero Jake turns up and she is forced to play her spoilt-and-heartless-heiress persona once again in order to protect her vulnerabilities. Jake is a reformed upper class bad boy, and now hates the seedy world he was once a part of, he makes his feelings towards Larissa perfectly clear, while Larissa takes all of his venom with her ususal devil may care attitude but is hurting deeply inside. Neither of them have ever forgotten the time they spent together five years ago, and despite their shared animosity it's not long before they give in to the passion between them. Being together far away from the harsh reality of the world they live in makes their feelings for one another grow, but they know they can never have a future as their world is far too soul destroying.

I have been looking forward to this book since reading 'The Replacement Wife'. The character of Larissa was introduced in that book, and I was very intrigued by her and her story.
This is a really interesting book, that had me hooked from the start. At times I wasn't sure if liked it or not, which, for me, adds to it's appeal. I enjoyed the honesty that Caitlin Crews used in writing about the harshness of the hero and heroine's lives, there was no self pity/poor little rich kids attitude, just a rather grim acceptance. Jake is a brilliant hero, complex and appealing, the internal battle he faced with himself over his feelings for Larissa is very gripping and his reactions are unpredictable, which makes his character feel very real. I also liked Larissa, the sadness she seemed to carry around had real depth.
I would have liked to know a little more about why Larissa collapsed and why her father hates her so much (her father, by the way, is a fantastically evil character!), but this doesn't effect the overall enjoyment of the book its just my curiosity!

Overall, this is really enjoyable book, as far away from the 'Cinderella' romance stereotype as you can get!


Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....

[Laura's · Rating 1 out of 5]

WOW I really didn't like this book at all. Jack just treats Larissa like shit and he would make me cry all the time talking to me the way he did to her. The killer is that she loves him after all that WFT girl get it together.

[Tali · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to be able to give this book more than 1 star, but unfortunately I can't. I really liked the main character of Larissa. I thought her backstory and development throughout the book were really well written and I found her to be a sympathetic and engaging character, one who's not presented as a saint. By contrast, however, I really hated her male counterpart, Jake. You can forgive Larissa for her mistakes, because she knows she's making them and she makes no excuses for herself. But Jake... The only thing that can be said about him really is that he's truly vile and abusive. Supposedly having changed 'for the better' prior to the event in this book, he spends most of his time abusing Larissa, telling her she's worthless and useless and a whore and a disappointment to him and to her family. The fact that he then wants to have sex with her despite all that is meant to make him the romantic lead. All it really makes him is a nasty hypocrite and the worst kind of man. Crews has really let herself down here, not only in creating such a character, when clearly - given her portrayal of Larissa - she can be a decent writer, but in then sweeping the damage Jake does to Larissa with his emotional abuse under the carpet when the book nears the finish and some kind of happy ending is required. What then makes this worse is that there's no apologies or redemption or anything. It's all just ignored because 'they love each other'.
1 star because you have to give a rating. Do not read.

[Nisareen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book follows on from events in The Replacemment Wife. After her recovery from her coma and amicable split from fiancee Theo, Larissa takes stock of her life and decides to retreat to a small island to lick her wounds. Things take an unexpected turn when she runs into an old flame whom she had a brief fling with five years ago. Jack Sutton has never forgiven Larissa for walking out on him and refuses to believe she's changed for the better. Despite this, they begin an affair, but can Jack get past his prejudice and see the real Larissa before it's too late?

The sadness that Larissa seems to carry is quite tragic at times. We're not told of the reason behind her breakdown and later coma or why her father bears her so much animosity - perhaps he wanted a son? Jack is unappealing as a hero. I found his attitude and contempt of her quite vicious at times and totally unwarranted. I wish Larissa had stood up to him more and made it harder for him at the end.

[Escapee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I liked:
- The angst
- The heroine. How she had changed after her incident from running away as an attempt to be herself to going back to her world and actually started to have concrete plans on reinventing herself.

Things that were lacking:
- I did not really see how their fling 5 years ago actually affected them.
- There wasn't much redeeming from the hero despite how he had treated her from the start other than the change in attitude and stance towards the heroine's actions over time.
- I wished the author could have mention more on the heroine's capabilities instead of just mentioning the fact that she was from an Ivy League college.

All in all, if you are looking for some angst, I would rec this. Looking for something more romance ish? nah

[Jasveen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made something move inside me - irritation.

[Julz]

Read the replacement wife first.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Scandal in the Spotlight
Category: Classic Romance

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Presents are at their best, there just isn't any better romance anywhere. And this is one of the best. Loved, loved, loved.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott Fitzgerald has told us that the rich are different. If we believe this book they are neurotic, self-obsessed, self-destructive and despise one another, while jumping into bed with people they claim to hate.

Larissa Whitney previously partied herself almost to death and none of her Ivy League family cared that she spent three weeks in a coma, claiming to the media that she'd been in rehab. Understandably she has gone away to recuperate both mentally and physically and has decided to put her shallow, immature behaviour behind her. Dropping out, cutting and dyeing her hair, she is spending winter on a small island off Maine. Her time out is spoiled when Jack Endicott, who claims to own the island but in fact just owns a house on it, recognises her and orders her off the island. He and Larissa had a fling five years ago but he got tired of her life and grew up a lot quicker than she did.

The two people spend a few chapters sneering at each other, while she pretends to be still the party girl, before Jack invites Larissa to dinner in his mansion. For no reason she or I can think of, she accepts. While they still find each other sexually attractive, a weekend of unprotected sex later they haven't had a single conversation. They've just traded insults.

The scene moves to New York with glittering parties and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, socialites and fund-raisers. Larissa's father Bradford ignores the fact that she is a reformed character and tells her to get her suicide attempt right next time. He wants her shares in the family firm. Jack meanwhile is ordered by his father to marry respectably. Nobody expects or wishes these young people to be happy, not even themselves. Their challenge now is to get over themselves and find out who loves them.

Maybe Caitlin Crews has got it spot on with this portrait. If the rich are this different, I'm wondering who would want to be rich?

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS This novel is hot. Lots of sex scenes in it. If you want that this book is what you want. If you don't want it stay away. I admit that I skimmed over those parts of the book. Just depends what you want on the day you want it. Its a good fast read. Larissa Whitney has a wild reputation that she worked hard to get. Now that she has changed, others don't see her changed. To get away from Society, her father and so called friends. She came to an isolated Maine island, cut her famous hair,dyed it and dress casual. She does not want to be seen or have cameras follow her. Jack Sutton sees her right off the bat. He thinks she has followed him here to play games. He has changed and tells her when the ferry will be here to leave his island. Jack gives the appearances of owning the island that is named after his family. Jack then comes to her hotel room and gets her to go to his house thier. They make love for days then go check her out of her room. Inbetween making love he tells her what he thinks of her and it is not nice. Jack also tells her that his grandfather wants him to marry a nice respectable heiress and that will never be her. He still thinks she has come to the island after him. Then he accuses her of wanting his grandfather. I really don't care about the character Jack and most of the other characters in the book I can't stand. Larissa knows that she has had self destructive behavior her whole life. After being in a coma she realizes that she needs to change before she forgets to care about her life again. I like her and admire that she is willing to change. The more you get to know her it is amazing that she cares about herself at all. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review by Netgalley. 09/03/2012 PUB Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Presents 192 pages

[ChickLitWorthReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original review appears on http://chicklitworthreading.wordpress...

I have to confess. I've never read a Harlequin Presents romance before. I know that sounds like sacrilege. And I honestly don't know how that happened. But once I realized it, I wanted to correct that over site as quickly as possible. I found them to be fun reads, with heroines I willingly rooted for. The romances were wonderfully rom-com like in their dealings with the 2 leads. And when I saw this title on Netgalley, I expected the same kind of experience. I was wrong. I was very wrong. Heiress Behind The Headlines tells the story of Larissa Whitley. A screwed-up, at-the-end-of-her-rope heiress, who escapes her family and New York City. And unwittingly runs smack dab in to the one who got away. Jack Sutton is everything his family expects him to be; responsible. And when he sees Larissa Whitley invade his small town life, he does everything he can to kick her out. And obviously, sparks ensue. Less obvious was the character of Larissa Whitley. Based on the short blurb, I thought this would be a Paris Hilton type learns to be a good person story. But Larissa was much more fully realized than that. She was damaged, physically broken, and utterly irreverent. Just when you thought her crushed spirit couldn't take anymore, she'd come out swinging…hard. I loved her. She was all twisted up inside, and your heart went out to her. Jack Sutton was less interesting than Larissa, but still big and bold enough to be worthy of her. I would have liked a bit more plot. But the character study of Larissa Whitley was good enough to keep me interested all the way through. And it kept me thinking about all that had happened to her, long after I put the book down. This was a good, solid read.

[Tammi (Gracie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book though one of the contests with a promise I would review it. I have to say although I liked the characters. Larissa and Jack, I really did not like the repeating of the family connections over and over. Yes we knew from the first few chapters that Whitney Media was Larissa's family business, so it really did not have to be repeated over and over again.

I would have liked to read more about Larissa's struggle and how she got where she did. I hated the way Jack spoke to Larissa at the beginning, although I know it was part of the story and there was a reason to it. It took me a little longer to read then usual. The negativity in the book could be really depressing at times.

It was nice to see Larissa stand up to her father, and Jack his grandfather. And it was good to see that his grandfather really loved Jack, and that they were both hurting from the death of Jack's mother.

All in all it was an alright book.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual star rating: 2.5

Thanks to a goodreads first reads giveaway and the author for this book.

This book was very predictable and exactly what you'd expect from this type of book.

I found the main characters, Jack & Larissa, to be fairly likeable. Jack was pigheaded for the entire book. I did feel sympathy for Larissa and her situation, however, I felt that her coma was never talked about much and it would have been nice for some clarification about it. Although, that's not what this kind of book is for!

I do have to echo another review that this book had way too much talk about what kinds of families they both came from. OK. We know! We get it!

[Hsiau Wei · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tell the story of internal conflict that Larissa have with herself and the attraction that she have for Jake whom she run away from five years ago. The story plot focuses on Larissa and her internal struggle to make things right after all the blunders that she did over the years which make her popular for the wrong reason in the society. Jake, who is prepared to believe the worst about her yet he dont seem to be able to overcome the attraction that he have over her. Overall, the book focuses more on Larissa and her internal struggle and it is quite repetitive and i find the whole story line to be quite dragging. I find it quite difficult to just finish the book.

[Brad Jae · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Heiress Behind the Headlines" Caitlin Crews, Well I'm going to start by saying I was disappointed in Caitlin Crews , for the simple fact that she writes really good PR novels. "The Heiress behind the Headlines"... I literally had to tackle the book from many angles and just couldn't get into it that much.. I totally got the concept that Larissa Whitney wanted to become her own person ...from being caught in the limelight by the media but really?..I think both Larissa and Jack wasn't a believable couple.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an autographed copy via Goodreads giveaways!

Larissa and Jack haven't seen each other in 5 years when they run into each other on a sleepy island off the coast of Maine.

Larissa is hiding from society to change her wild ways after a traumatic ordeal. The island is an escape for Jack.

They are passionate for one another, but they both must trust themselves before they can trust each other.

The story is of a sexual nature, but not overly graphic.

I really ended up liking the book and read it in a night/early morning. Not a literary masterpiece, but still a fun, easy read.

[Nas Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEIRESS BEHIND THE HEADLINES by author Caitlin Crews in a Harlequin Presents release.

HEIRESS BEHIND THE HEADLINES is an emotional rollercoaster of a story packed with sizzle and sexual tension. Author Caitlin Crews wrote a hero in Jack Sutton who appears uncompromising and domineering on the outside but is really tortured and intensely emotional on the inside. Larissa is a strong and feisty heroine.

My rating 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

[Ralica Ivanova · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was different than what I have expected. The story line goes about two outrageously rich people who shared love for each other for years. However due to different events in their lives their perception of the world changes completely. This is what was not too appealing to me. its just not believable and its not that me as a reader was able to believe in their redemption and the new path in life they have undertaken.

[Melissa Sargent · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick, easy read. A perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon. I couldn't fully related to the main charactoers, but I still liked it. This review was provided in exchange for a copy of the book from the author and Goodreads Firstreads.

[Angief · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters and the sex scenes were steamy but I did find it a little repetitive at times. Over all it was a good, easy, quick read.

I received a free copy of this book through GoodReads FirstReads.

[Shannon Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Caitlin Crews does an amazing job of setting the scene in such a way that it's like you're there watching this all happen.

[Tizah · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it! !!

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Scandal in the Spotlight
Category: Classic Romance

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was inconsistent. It had a five star heroine and a one star hero. I really rooted for Larissa throughout the book. She was someone desperately looking for her second chance, and trying very hard for it, with the grim certainty that no one else would ever let her. Every victory she scored throughout the book made me cheer.

The hero, Jack, was the problem in this book. He was horribly abusive to Larissa. He, also, was someone who had gone looking for a second chance, who had realized the life he was leading wasn't working for him, and wanted to change. But he flat-out refused to allow Larissa the same chance or any leniency about her attitude. Instead, he kept telling her over and over how worthless she was, and how much of a whore she was. Yet, he still wanted to have sex with her. No one deserves this kind of man, and Larissa as she was presented in the book deserved far better than to be stuck with this jerk as her love interest. Larissa's journey made the book worth reading, but Jack's attitude made it impossible for the book to get higher than 3 stars from me.

[RomLibrary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Haunted by one scandal too many, tabloid-savaged and vulnerable, Larissa Whitney turns her back on her gilded fortune. Desperately hiding from the paparazzi's relentless cameras, Larissa escapes to a small, secluded island, seeking refuge. But she's not alone—instead, Larissa finds herself face-to-face with Manhattan tycoon Jack Endicott Sutton.Now she's trapped on an island with a man she had a wild affair with five years before.…

A man she's still achingly attracted to. A man who knows the outrageous truth! (less)

[Laura Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was something out of today’s times. It was a true love story that anyone could see coming. From the moment the story started you knew right where it was going to end. There was no secret no games there was only the love story. At times it went on and repeated itself and got lost but overall it was a great read that I couldn’t put down.